Letchworth Croquet ClubTen individual practice routines that make AC seem easyPlace two balls pointing straight ahead and play a firm straight drive. Count the number of paces from where you have just played to where the back ball finished. Count the number of paces from that spot to where the front ball finished and note the ratio.Repeat at least five times.

2) Practise the diagonal half-rollPlay a half-roll from about a yard and a half North of Hoop 1, sending the back ball to the peg and the front ball to Hoop 3.Repeat at least five times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbRt20dluk8(By Chris Clarke, ex Letchworth CC and former world champion)

3) Practise the fine ‘take-off’ from the peg to just South of Hoop 2Repeat at least five times.

4) Learn to hit regular 7-yardersPlace four balls 1 foot apart on a boundary (backed by a stop board).Place another row of four balls 1 foot apart and 1 yard away.Aim and hit each ball (at the yard distance) off its position on the boundary line.When you have hit all four consecutively, move the row you are hitting with back a yard and repeat the process.Repeat until the hitting distance has increased to 7 yards or more.

6) Practise your split rollsTake a marker, two bisques and two balls. Mark your starting place anywhere on the lawn with the marker and set the bisques to create a triangle with roughly equal 5-yard sides.Play a split roll trying to get each ball to travel to each of the bisques.Vary the size and shape of the triangle.

7) Hoop approachesFrom about 2 yards in front of a hoop, approach it with a croquet stroke:a) with a stop shot that sends the front ball well past the hoop, missing on the right or left.

8) Making Hoop 1 from a common start positionPlace your two balls on the East boundary a foot apart, with your opponent’s ball another foot away, also on the boundary. (Your opponent’s other ball is on the boundary 2 or 3 yards North of Hoop 1).Roquet your partner ball and with a miniscule take-off get a rush on your opponent’s ball to just South of opponent’s ball on the West boundary.From there, send your opponent’s ball towards Hoop 2 (with a stop shot) getting a splendid rush on opponent’s ball to Hoop 1.

9) Running hoops with controlApproach Hoop 2 from a yard with a gentle roll, sending the forward ball just past the hoop to the right. Now run the hoop with control, getting a good rush to Hoop 3.

10) Practise the 'four-ball break successfully running hoops 1-4With your 2 balls a yard in front of Hoop 1 and one opponent’s ball by the peg and one by Hoop 2: a) Following a successful hoop 1, a half-roll sending the croqueted ball to Hoop 3 and the striker's ball to the ball by the peg (within a couple of yards) b) A successful take-off from the ball at the peg (remembering to move the croqueted ball slightly) and getting a good rush on the Hoop 2 pioneer c) After running Hoop 2 send a ball to Hoop 4 getting close to the ball in the middle d) Taking off to pioneer at Hoop 3 e) After making the hoop send a ball to Hoop 5 getting close to the ball in the middle f) Taking off to and making Hoop 4